Roofing Scams Archives

Red Flags in Roofing in Colorado

April 18, 2024July 10, 2023 by Excel Roofing

Red Flags in Roofing in Colorado

When it comes to roofing projects, finding a reliable and trustworthy contractor is essential. Unfortunately, the roofing industry has its share of unscrupulous individuals who prioritize their own interests over those of their clients. In Colorado – say Highlands Ranch, Littleton, Colorado Springs, or Denver – homeowners must be aware of red flag contractors. This blog post aims to shed light on these warning signs to help homeowners make informed decisions and avoid falling victim to untrustworthy contractors.

1. High-Pressure Tactics

One of the most common red flags in the roofing industry is the use of high-pressure sales tactics. Dishonest contractors may employ aggressive and relentless methods to push homeowners into signing contracts without fully understanding the terms and conditions. They often create a sense of urgency, claiming limited availability or time-sensitive discounts to manipulate homeowners into making hasty decisions. Reputable contractors prioritize open communication and encourage homeowners to take their time, ask questions, and review multiple estimates before committing to any roofing project.

2. Demanding to Sign a Contract

Another red flag to watch out for is contractors who insist on immediate contract signing. Legitimate roofing professionals understand the importance of allowing homeowners to thoroughly review and understand the terms of the agreement. By pressuring homeowners to sign on the spot, untrustworthy contractors aim to bypass the necessary scrutiny of the contract and potentially include unfair clauses or hidden fees. Homeowners should always take the time to carefully read the contract, seeking clarification on any unclear or suspicious clauses before signing.

3. Cancellation Fees

Unethical roofing contractors often include cancellation fees in their contracts, effectively penalizing homeowners for changing their minds or seeking alternative options. These fees can be exorbitant and are designed to deter homeowners from canceling the contract, even if they have valid reasons to do so. Reputable contractors typically have reasonable cancellation policies or allow for a grace period during which homeowners can freely opt out of the agreement without incurring unnecessary financial burdens.

4. Money Upfront, No Refunds

Demanding substantial upfront payments with little or no refund policy is a clear red flag in the roofing industry. Untrustworthy contractors often require homeowners to pay a significant portion or even the full amount before any work is done. Once they receive the money, they may either disappear, leaving the project unfinished, or provide subpar workmanship. Legitimate contractors typically request a reasonable deposit to cover initial costs, with the balance paid upon completion and homeowner satisfaction.

5. Salesmen Paid Before Work Completion

Unethical roofing contractors may compensate their salesmen based on the number of signed contracts, encouraging them to prioritize closing deals over ensuring customer satisfaction. This can result in rushed projects, poor communication, and inadequate attention to detail. Homeowners should inquire about the payment structure within the contractor’s company, ensuring that the contractor values quality workmanship and customer satisfaction above all else.

To avoid any red flags, do your research on the roofing contractors before picking. Excel Roofing allows homeowners to take as much time as they need and ask as many questions as they may have before signing an agreement. Excel has 0 cancellation fees. If homeowners choose to go with a different company, Excel Roofing will tear up the agreement and throw it away. Excel does not collect any money upfront. We collect the checks after the job is done and the customer is satisfied! Remember, investing in a reliable and trustworthy contractor is the key to a successful roofing project that will protect your home for years to come.

Reference:

https://www.owenscorning.com/en-us/roofing/blog/roofers

What You Should Do If Your House Gets Hit with Hail

April 25, 2024June 12, 2023 by Excel Roofing

What You Should Do If Your House Gets Hit With Hail

Hail season in Colorado is here. It starts in late April and goes on until September or sometimes October. Hail can be damaging to your roof and other parts of the exterior of your home. Normally if the hail stones that fall are .5” or larger this is when you can expect your property to take a beating. In this blog post, we will discuss the necessary steps you should take if your house gets hit with hail, including when to file an insurance claim, how to identify hail damage, choosing the right contractor, mitigating leaks, and the benefits of impact-resistant shingles.

When to file an insurance claim:

After a hailstorm, it is crucial to assess the damage to your property before you contact your insurance company. Most people don’t love being on the roof, if this is you call Excel Roofing to have an expert assess the damage. One of our Project Managers will take a look at the possible damage and give you an honest assessment on if you have enough damage to file an insurance claim. Insurance policies have specific time limits for filing claims after a hail event, so it is essential to act promptly to ensure coverage.

How to tell if your roof has been damaged by hail:

Determining if your roof has sustained hail damage requires a thorough inspection done by someone with trained eyes. Some signs to look for include:

Bruised shingles
Dents or divots in shingles
Missing granules in circular form
Cracked or split shingles

Choosing the correct contractor:

Use a local contractor with an established track record. A company’s track record is the best indicator of how they are going to perform.

Make sure you get a written bid specifying the materials and costs of the job. This should include all your expectations of the work to be performed.

Read the fine print and do not sign a contract with a cancellation fee. The only reason a cancellation fee is included is to hold you hostage in case you want out of the deal.

Your contactor needs to have liability and workman’s comp insurance. This will protect you if they damage your property or if one of the workers gets hurt.

Make sure your contractor pulls a building permit and has the work inspected.

Most importantly, never pay a contractor any money until the job is finished. Don’t pay for material up front. If things go wrong with the job, you will have all the money to pay someone to fix it. This is the best protection a consumer can have.

If you end up signing a bad contract and want to get out of it. Read our “How to Get Out of a Bad Contract” blog for more information. https://www.excelroofing.com/how-to-get-out-of-a-bad-contract/

Best way to mitigate an active leak:

If your roof develops a leak after a hailstorm, taking immediate action is crucial to minimize further damage.

Place a bucket under the leak to collect the water and help prevent it from damaging your interior.
If you see a bubble in your drywall, poke it with a pencil to drain the water out to prevent it from collapsing.
Contact a professional roofing contractor to assess and repair the damage promptly.

Deductibles are changing, so file a claim now:

Insurance deductibles for hail damage can vary, but it’s worth noting that in recent years many policies have transitioned to a percentage-based deductible, typically around 1% of the insured value of your home. This change means that the deductible amount will increase as the value of your home does. If you’ve been hit by a hailstorm and have significant damage, it is wise to file a claim sooner rather than later to take advantage of the current deductible structure.

Impact Resistant Shingles:

To better protect your home from hail damage in the future, Excel Roofing strongly considers installing impact resistant shingles. These are specially designed shingles that are made to withstand hail impact and are often rated for their resistance to specific sizes of hailstones. Impact resistant shingles can reduce the risk of damage during severe weather events, providing greater peace of mind and lowering your insurance premiums.

Every type of shingle goes through a testing process to receive a rating. Underwriters Laboratories (UL) is a non-profit independent testing organization that provides the knowledge and expertise to help consumers make informed decisions on the best products.

UL developed a test called the UL 2218 Impact Rating to rate the strength of roofing materials. The test uses steel balls ranging from 1.25 inches to 2 inches in diameter that are dropped from various heights.

To meet the acceptance criteria of UL 2218, the roofing material, back surface, and interior layers must show no evidence or tearing, fracturing, cracking, splitting, rupture, or other evidence of opening of the roof covering layer. Based on how the roofing material performs, it will be classified as Class 1, 2, 3, or 4.

Class 4 is earned if the sample does not crack when hit twice in the same place by a 2-inch diameter steel ball. Products that receive a Class 4 rating are the most resistant to hail damage.

Excel Roofing suggests Owens Corning TruDefinition Duration Storm or Flex. These shingles come in a variety of colors. Duration Storm uses an extra backing called a scrim to achieve its rating, and Duration Flex is made with a blend of SBS polymer modified asphalt. This rubber-like material allows the shingle to be more pliable and flexible, making the shingles hail resistant. Both of these asphalt shingles are Class 4 and qualify for an insurance discount with the provided certificate. Talk to your insurance agent about the discounts they might offer. Excel Roofing always provides the Class 4 Roof Certificate if the roof qualifies.

References:

https://www.owenscorning.com/en-us/roofing/blog/roof-hail-damage

https://www.owenscorning.com/en-us/roofing/shingles/trudefinition-duration-storm

https://www.owenscorning.com/en-us/roofing/shingles/trudefinition-duration-flex

https://www.owenscorning.com/en-us

3 Steps For Getting Out Of A Bad Roofing Contract

February 11, 2022January 22, 2020 by Excel Roofing

Read More About Dishonest Roofers

The aftermath of a hailstorm doesn’t always end when the clouds break.

Over the years, we have had a lot of experience talking with many homeowners who signed roofing contracts, but quickly regretted their hasty decision.

The reason for the buyer’s remorse is because after further research, the buyer discovers that the company they’re working with now sounds like a bad decision.

The contract with the “bad company” almost always contains a 15% to 20% cancellation fee and requires that the contract be cancelled within 72 hours in order to avoid the fee.

YOUR RIGHT OF RESCISSION

According to Colorado law, any roofing contract signed at a consumer’s home may be cancelled within 72 hours without any cancellation fee. This 72-hour right of rescission is supposed to be listed on every roofing contract; often times it’s not. If the homeowner is within the 72 hours, they should immediately send a cancellation letter and email to the roofing company. They should also contact the company by phone to let them know they’re canceling the contract.

According to Colorado law, there’s a number of other reasons that a consumer can cancel a roofing contract without paying cancellation fees. Click here to read more about the Colorado Roofing Law SB-12-038.

THE ISSUE WITH MONEY UP FRONT

The ability of a homeowner to get out of a contract after the 72-hour right of rescission period, without paying a cancellation fee, is determined by another external factor: whether or not the consumer paid the roofer money up front. If money has been paid up front, the homeowner is most likely stuck in the contract and unfortunately does not have very many options. On the other hand, if no money has been paid up front, we have some good advice about how the homeowner can get out of the bad contract.

3 STEPS TO GET OUT OF A BAD CONTRACT

The consumer should call the roofing company and ask to speak to the owner or manager and nicely tell them they have changed their minds and would like to cancel the deal without paying a cancellation fee. If the company agrees, put it in writing and the homeowner is out of the deal.
If the contractor refuses to cancel the deal, the homeowner should advise the contractor that they are going to hire an independent roof inspector. This inspector will inspect each and every detail of the roofing job. Then advise the contractor that they are going to be looking for perfection. Anything done wrong will be redone, and the contractor will have the independent inspector’s fee taken out of their pay.
Finally, the homeowner should advise the contractor that after a very long and painful process to get every single detail right, the homeowner will take forever to pay.

SAMPLE LETTER FOR GETTING OUT OF A BAD CONTRACT

Either download the letter as a PDF, or copy and paste the letter into an email. Next, make your personal adjustments. Lastly, send it off to your current contractor.

DOWNLOAD SAMPLE LETTER

 John Smith
12345 Main Street, Springfield Co 81073  303-123-4567

DATE:	9/30/2020

RE:	Roof Contract Cancellation

Dear Roofing Contractor,

I hereby notify you that I’m cancelling the contract we engaged in.  After further consideration I’ve realized that I do not want you working on my property.

I have also become aware of Colorado SB12-038, the Residential Roofing Consumer Bill of Rights.  According to this Colorado Statute the contract you presented me to sign is in violation of the law and therefore invalid.  Some of the specific items required by law that you failed to put in the contract are:
1.	 The scope of work and material to be used for the new roof
2.	The cost to do the roofing job and approximate dates of when the roof will be installed
3.	Your address, phone number, and insurance company information must be listed on the contract
4.	My right to cancel the contract within 72 hours must be written on the contract
5.	Notice that the contractor cannot pay, waive, or in any other way cover the consumer’s deductible if the roofing job is being paid from an insurance claim
6.	Notice to the consumer that any money paid in advance will be held in a special trust account until the material is purchased
7.	Notice to the consumer that if any part of the insurance claim is rescinded in whole or part by the insurance company that the consumer will have another 72-hour right of rescission to cancel the contract

I will also advise you that if you try to force me to use your services, I’m going to be the pickiest most difficult customer you have ever had.  I will hire an Independent Roof Inspector to inspect the job in progress, and that they will be looking for perfection.  If the Independent Roof inspector finds anything wrong, you will have fix any problems and will have the Fee for the Independent Roof Inspector taken out of your pay.  I will also be in touch with the City Inspector, and make sure they do not pass the roof if anything is found wrong by my Independent Inspector.

Finally, after I make this long painful process for you, I’m going to take forever to pay.

I look forward to your confirmation of the cancellation of this deal.

 John Smith
303-123-4567
1234 Main Street
Springfield, CO  81073

Normally at this point even a bad contractor will know when to cut his losses, cancel the deal, and move on to easier targets.

Obviously the best way to avoid this difficult situation is to use a reputable contractor that does not play any of these games. If a homeowner uses a company like Excel Roofing, they will never experience any of these problems.

Excel lets customers out of the deal at any time and never charges cancellation fees. We do ask that the homeowner pay for the permit and any restock fees on materials.

Most importantly, we never ask for any money up front. With Excel Roofing, You Don’t Pay a Cent Until You Are Content!

Red Flags in Roofing in Colorado

1. High-Pressure Tactics

2. Demanding to Sign a Contract

3. Cancellation Fees

4. Money Upfront, No Refunds

5. Salesmen Paid Before Work Completion

Reference:

What You Should Do If Your House Gets Hit With Hail

When to file an insurance claim:

How to tell if your roof has been damaged by hail:

Choosing the correct contractor:

Best way to mitigate an active leak:

Deductibles are changing, so file a claim now:

Impact Resistant Shingles:

References:

YOUR RIGHT OF RESCISSION

THE ISSUE WITH MONEY UP FRONT

3 STEPS TO GET OUT OF A BAD CONTRACT

SAMPLE LETTER FOR GETTING OUT OF A BAD CONTRACT

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